


swallow my breath and take what is mine

by tokkiui



Category: Aldnoah.Zero (Anime)
Genre: Heavy Angst, M/M, Post-Canon, alternative ending
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-04-05
Updated: 2016-04-05
Packaged: 2018-05-31 10:05:04
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 582
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6466075
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tokkiui/pseuds/tokkiui
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>inhale. exhale. breathe.</p><p>(or― slaine and harklight make it to earth.)</p>
            </blockquote>





	swallow my breath and take what is mine

**Author's Note:**

> i tried to write a happy hasure.
> 
> i failed.
> 
> special shoutout to the wonderful writer besthandwriting @ao3 because their hasure fics inspired me to write this short piece. if you ever read this, thank you. you're the best.
> 
> EDIT: gintitsch, a very kind soul, translated this piece into russian; thank you so much! you can take a look at it here: ficbook.net/readfic/4772004

inhale. exhale. _breathe_.

 

 

for the first time, harklight's lungs are filled with real air and not with filtered oxygen of spaceships or sandy filth of vers.

the sun's up, high on the sky, bathing the world around him in a warm glow.

the sky and ocean are just as blue as slaine's eyes.

(as blue as he promised they would be.)

it feels like he's really alive.

 

 

inhale. exhale.

 

 

"milord slaine." his voice is trembling; it's too much, way too much for him to handle. he can't stop the tears from falling into the water as he leans over the young count. "milord, we made it. to earth."

lying in the shallows, his blonde hair partially scattered on the sand and partially floating in the water, slaine looks ethereal. his skin is still almost unhealthily pale but in the direct rays of the earthly sun it doesn’t look as wrong as it did in the artificial light of the moon base.

slaine opens his eyes slowly, glancing through heavy eyelids at the older male. there's soft, kind, most delicate smile on his face, exactly the same smile that harklight came to love and vowed to protect no matter the cost.

his chest tightens as he reaches over to cup slaine’s cheek.

in the twenty five years harklight's been alive, he's never seen something as beautiful as the boy in front of him.

the young count chuckles airily, even though there are tears welling in the corners of his tired, weary eyes. "i told you... not to call me like that... sir harklight."

without another word, harklight leans down and presses his lips against slaine's.

he closes his eyes, trying to ignore the fact that the water around them is slowly turning red.

(harklight doesn't dare to look lower, where slaine’s legs once used to be.)

"...i’m cold," slaine whispers against his lips after he pulls away from the kiss, voice trembling with fear. and harklight can't stop himself from thinking that this is it; this is the first time when slaine troyard lets himself sound like a young boy that he still is. “i’m scared, harklight…” he continues as his numb fingers find their way to his jacket, gripping tightly like he’s fearing that the older male might leave him otherwise.

"it's okay," harklight murmurs into slaine’s hair as he wraps his arms around his waist and holds him tight, tries to give him any semblance of comfort in his last moments; it’s late, too late to do anything, not with the amount of blood that the boy has lost. “it’s okay to let go, milord.”

 

(and maybe harklight simply doesn’t want him to suffer anymore. out of all the people in the universe, slaine troyard deserves to rest.

on this earth he loved so much, in this sacred, nonexistent space between the ocean and the sky.)

 

they lie in the shallows silently, sharing their last minutes together; _traitors, liars, beggars, lovers, dreamers_.

 

harklight doesn’t let go of slaine, even when he stops breathing, a lifeless doll against his chest.

 

 

inhale. exhale.

 

 

aeons later, the sky is still blue.

(like slaine’s eyes will never be again.)

 

it’s easy to find the gun hidden in the folds of his uniform; even easier to press the muzzle to his temple.

 

( _do you think that there is life after death?_ slaine asked him once.

harklight wishes he could go back in time and say _yes_.)

 

 

inhale. exhale.

 

 

“i'll find you on the other side, slaine.”

**Author's Note:**

> i'm sorry.
> 
> ...or am i, really.
> 
> (the title comes from the song "wolves without teeth" by the amazing band of monsters and men.)


End file.
